In a major embarrassment to the Nationalist Congress Party to which he belongs, Bhujbal was interrogated by ED officials for nearly 11 hours on Monday and then placed under arrest for alleged corruption.

The ED action came after over a month after his nephew Samir Bhujbal was similarly summoned in February and arrested by the ED.

Later last month, ED questioned Pankaj Bhujbal, a legislator, and allowed him to go even as his father Chhagan Bhujbal cried foul. The NCP termed it “political vendetta”.

The ED’s probe follows a Bombay High Court ruling in January when it sought progress reports from the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau and the ED within four weeks on their investigation against the Bhujbals.

The ED had conducted searches twice at nine premises belonging to the Bhujbal trio and others and subsequently served attachment orders on three prime properties linked to the Bhujbal family members worth over Rs.280 crore in Mumbai.

Simultaneously, the State Anti-Corruption Bureau lodged a chargesheet against the three Bhujbals and 14 others in the Maharashtra Sadan case.